Saturday, October 08, 2005

Binding the Hands of Torturers

When the Senate voted this week to bring America's chain of military prison camps under the rule of law, President Bush threatened a veto. The White House explained his objections by saying the measure would bind the government's hands. Yes, exactly. The rules would finally bind military prisons to democratic values and the standards of behavior recognized by every other civilized nation. They would bind the government to a code of conduct that will help protect those in the nation's uniform.

The measure would ban "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment of prisoners held by the military - which, by the way, is already against American law and a longstanding treaty. Mr. Bush, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales are about the only ones left who want to defend the justness and practical value of the abhorrent practices introduced at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and then exported to Abu Ghraib. Ninety senators voted for the new law, including 46 Republicans - even Bill Frist, the majority leader, who yanked the measure from the floor last summer.

More than two dozen retired senior military officers endorsed it, including two former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, John Shalikashvili and Colin Powell. Generals know that turning American servicemen and servicewomen into torturers endangers Americans captured on the battlefield. Senator John McCain, the primary sponsor of the legislation, was among the Americans tortured by North Vietnamese jailers. He said that "Every one of us - every single one of us - knew and took great strength from the belief that we were different from our enemies."

The arguments made by the handful of senators still loyal to Mr. Bush on this issue were sadly comical. Senator Ted Stevens, Republican of Alaska, argued that requiring American troops to follow their own field manual was not practical in the so-called war on terror. This is the central myth behind the administration's policies on prisoners, that the 9/11 attacks required a review of the rules and justified changing them to allow the torture of suspected terrorists. No serious person with experience in this field believes that, only because torture yields worthless information and false confessions.

Not only is the Bush administration trying to block the Senate's efforts to finally fix this enormous problem, but it continues to block any serious investigation of the abuse, torture and murder of prisoners.

The senators who voted for the law on the humane treatment of prisoners should also lend their backing to another measure that would create a truly bipartisan and independent commission, armed with subpoena power, to investigate the prisoner abuses at Abu Ghraib and other military detention camps - like the one that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Republican majority in the House should also pass the new law on interrogations - then override Mr. Bush if he has the bad judgment to veto it.

Many people are feared dead or trapped in a 10-story apartment block in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.

"The quake jolted me awake and I saw people running down the staircase," Sabahat Ahmed, a resident of the apartment, told Reuters.

"By the time the second tremor hit, the building had already started to collapse," he said. "As the building was collapsing people were still coming out from it. I heard and saw various people in a state of panic and many stuck under the collapsed building."

Qaiser Abbas, a receptionist in the building, told The Associated Press that he was sitting in his office when the building suddenly began to shake.

"After five seconds, I heard big sound, and then about 40 apartments collapsed," he said.

Elsewhere, Danny Kemp, deputy Islamabad bureau chief for Agence France-Presse, told CNN that he saw light poles shaking in the city during the quake.

"I've never felt anything like it," he said. "My wife and I grabbed our daughter and ran outside immediately."

Nokia 888

Nokia's has come up with 888 which at the moment only exists on the drawing board but it looks awesome and once out (expected within 2-3 years) our designer conscious class would be showing it off. This bracelet-like 888, is envisioned to use a liquid battery, feature speech recognition, a flexible touch screen, and a touch sensitive body cover.

Who wants to smack this guy?

Sounding Old Themes On Iraq

President Bush's Major Speech: Sounding Old Themes on Iraq - Editorial: NYT

We've lost track of the number of times President Bush has told Americans to ignore their own eyes and ears and pretend everything is going just fine in Iraq. Yesterday, when Mr. Bush added a ringing endorsement of his own policy to his speech on terrorism, it was that same old formula: the wrong questions, the wrong answers and no new direction.

Mr. Bush suggested that people who doubt that nation-building is going well are just confusing healthy disagreement with dangerous division. "We've heard it suggested that Iraq's democracy must be on shaky ground because Iraqis are arguing with one another," he scoffed. What he failed to acknowledge was that the Iraqi power groups seem prepared to go through the motions of democracy only as long as their side wins.

Just this week, the United Nations narrowly averted disaster when it convinced Shiite and Kurdish officials to drop a plan to fix the upcoming constitutional referendum to eliminate Sunni voters' capacity to vote down the constitution. But their promises to follow the rules seem likely to hold up only as long as the game goes as they want.

Americans want to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel in Iraq, and Mr. Bush offered quite a bit. "Area by area, city by city, we're conducting offensive operations to clear out enemy forces and leaving behind Iraqi units to prevent the enemy from returning," he said. Best of all, there were "more than 80 Iraqi Army battalions fighting the insurgency alongside our forces." Unfortunately, the real questions are how many of the cleared-out towns actually stay clear once American troops have gone, and how many Iraqi units are capable of fighting on their own, without American soldiers at their side. In both cases, the answers are far more dismal than Mr. Bush suggested.

As a candidate, Mr. Bush got a lot of mileage out of offering the same simple, positive thoughts over and over. But now the nation doesn't need more specious theories about why the invasion was a good idea and cheery assurances that the original plan is still working. If Mr. Bush still cannot acknowledge the flaws in his policy, how can he fix them?

Americans need clear guidelines for judging how long it makes sense to stay in Iraq. Are our troops helping create a nation, or simply delaying an inevitable civil war? Does a continued American presence help push the Middle East toward peace and democracy, or simply inflame hatred of the United States and serve as a rallying point for Al Qaeda? The fact that the president isn't willing even to raise the questions does not increase confidence in the ultimate outcome.

Given the state of the American adventure in Iraq and the way it has sapped the strength and flexibility of the United States armed forces, it was unnerving to hear Mr. Bush talk so menacingly about Syria and Iran. It was also maddening to listen to him describe the perils that Iraq poses while denying that his policies set them in motion.

It is hard to argue with his assertion that if militants controlled Iraq, they would be well positioned "to develop weapons of mass destruction, to destroy Israel, to intimidate Europe, to assault the American people and to blackmail our government into isolation." It is also hard to resist the temptation to say he should have thought of that before invading.

The period right after 9/11, for all its pain, was the high point of the Bush presidency. Four years ago, we hung on every word when Mr. Bush denounced Al Qaeda and made the emotional - but, as it turned out, empty - vow to track down Osama bin Laden. Yesterday, it seemed as if the president was still trying to live in 2001. It was eerie to hear him urge Americans to take terrorism seriously. There wasn't any reason to worry about that even before subway riders were being told about the threat of a terrorist attack on their commute home

Keira Knightley Strip Tease Video

Well, well. It looks like our pals over at JoBlo.com have got their hands on a clip of Keira Knightley performing a strip tease from her new film Domino. I hate to say it, though, I think that she uses a body double in that scene. And, yeah, that picture above is about as good as the video quality gets.

Truck Crashes

The Ashes - Royal Mail Stamp Issue

On 12 September 2005 Michael Vaughan and his team brought home the Ashes and became national heroes. Now you can bring home a memento of this great day when you order our commemorative Ashes Special Stamp products.

In 1882 at The Oval, Australia beat England on home soil for the first time and a small terracotta urn was presented to the England captain Ivo Bligh. The urn is reputed to contain a set of burnt bails symbolising "the ashes of English cricket". And so the Ashes began, and created one of the biggest sporting rivalries the world has ever seen.

123 years later, England watched as the most exciting series since 1882 unfolded.

At Edgbaston everyone was on tenterhooks as England won by just two runs. We witnessed another nail biter at Trent Bridge, with England taking an unlikely 2-1 lead into the final test. When England claimed a hard draw at The Oval and a historic victory, the cheers could be heard from every pub, office and living room.

The four action packed stamps capture the key players in all their glory, and enable you to relive the tension, excitement and jubilation over and over again.

The BEST Geek Quotes Ever!

There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't.

If at first you don't succeed; call it version 1.0

I'm not anti-social; I'm just not user friendly

My pokemon bring all the nerds to the yard, and they're like you wanna trade cards? Darn right, I wanna trade cards, I'll trade this but not my charizard

My software never has bugs. It just develops random features.

Roses are #FF0000Violets are #0000FFAll my baseAre belong to you

A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila.

Microsoft: "You've got questions. We've got dancing paperclips."

In a world without fences and walls, who needs Gates and Windows?

I would love to change the world, but they won't give me the source code

The speed of sound is defined by the distance from door to computer divided by the time interval needed to close the media player and pull up your pants when your mom shouts "OH MY GOD WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!"

UNIX is basically a simple operating system, but you have to be a genius to understand the simplicity.

You know it's love when you memorize her IP number to skip DNS overhead.

Smoking is bad for you. Really.

Black People Love Us!

Popbitch Highlights

Here's some highlights from this week's Popbitch. If you haven't signed up to this free weekly celebrity gossip email, you should!

Big Questions - What people are asking this week

This is one expose you won't see on the front of the tabloids any time soon. A famous London strip club has a special room upstairs where the girls perform favours on newspaper chiefs, to stop any chance of exposure for the club or owner's sex and drug proclivities.

Quotes Dept - Muhammed Ali: truly the greatest

"So who were those faggots?"

Muhammed Ali, on meeting the Beatles and posing for photos with them in the early 1960s.

A deranged man who stabbed a baby in her pram lastmonth in New York told cops: "I had to killsomething. I'll never do it again but at the time,I had to do that to feel better."

>> An old joke gathers no Moss <<When Kate met Clarkson... probably

Kate Moss goes to a party where she runs into Jeremy Clarkson...

Kate: "What do you do?"Jeremy: "I do Top Gear"Kate: "Great! I'll have four grams!"

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Explaining Ramadan

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Lunar calendar and the holiest of the four holy months. It begins with the sighting of the new moon after which all physically mature and healthy Muslims are obliged to abstain from all food, drink, gum chewing, any kind of tobacco use, and any kind of sexual contact between dawn and sunset. However, that is merely the physical component of the fast; the spiritual aspects of the fast include refraining from gossiping, lying, slandering and all traits of bad character. All obscene and irreligious sights and sounds are to be avoided. Purity of thought and action is paramount. Ordained in the Quran, the fast is an exacting act of deeply personal worship in which Muslims seek a raised level of God-consciousness. The act of fasting redirects the hearts away from worldly activities, towards The Divine.

The month of Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, doing good deeds and spending time with family and friends. The fasting is intended to help teach Muslims self-discipline, self-restraint and generosity. It also reminds them of the suffering of the poor, who may rarely get to eat well. It is common to have one meal (known as the Suhoor), just before sunrise and another (known as the Iftar), directly after sunset. This meal will commonly consist of dates, following the example of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon Him. Because Ramadan is a time to spend with friends and family, the fast will often be broken by different Muslim families coming together to share in an evening meal.

Another Priceless Moment

Work Poo.

As much as we try to convince ourselves otherwise, the WORKPOO is inevitable. For those who hate pooing at work, the following is the Survival Guide for taking a dump at work.

CROP DUSTING -- When farting, you walk briskly around the office so the smell is not in your area and everyone else gets a whiff but doesn't know where it came from. Be careful when you do this. Do not stop until the full fart has been expelled. Walk an extra 30 feet to makesure the smell has left your pants.

FLY BY -- The act of scouting out a bathroom before pooing. Walk in and check for other pooers. If there are others in the bathroom, leave and come back again. Be careful not to become a FREQUENT FLYER. People may become suspicious if they catch you constantly going into the bathroom.

ESCAPEE -- A fart that slips out while taking a leak at the urinal or forcing a poo in a cubicle. This is usually accompanied by a sudden wave of embarrassment. If you release an escapee, do not acknowledge it. Pretend it did not happen. If you are standing next to the farter in the urinal, pretend you did not hear it. No one likes an escapee. It is uncomfortable for all involved. Making a joke or laughing makes both parties feel uneasy.

JAILBREAK -- When forcing a poo, several farts slip out at a machine gun pace. This is usually a side effect of diarrhoea or a hangover. If this should happen, do not panic. Remain in the cubicle until everyone has left the bathroom to spare everyone the awkwardness of what just occurred.

COURTESY FLUSH -- The act of flushing the toilet the instant the poo hits the water. This reduces the amount of airtime the poo has to stink up the bathroom. This can help you avoid being caught doing the WALK OF SHAME. (yep..guilty)

WALK OF SHAME -- Walking from the cubicle, to the sink, to the door after you have just stunk up the bathroom. This can be a very uncomfortable moment if someone walks in and busts you. As with farts, it is best to pretend that the smell does not exist. Can be avoided with the use of the COURTESY FLUSH.

OUT OF THE CLOSET POOER -- A colleague who poos at work and is proud of it. You will often see an Out Of The Closet pooer enter the bathroom with a newspaper or magazine under his or her arm. Always look around the office for the Out Of The Closet Pooer before entering the bathroom.

THE POOING FRIENDS NETWORK (P.F.N) -- A group of co-workers who band together to ensure emergency pooing goes off without incident. This group can help you to monitor the whereabouts of Out Of The Closet Pooers, and identify SAFE HAVENS.

SAFE HAVENS -- A seldom-used bathroom somewhere in the building where you can least expect visitors. Try floors that are predominantly of the opposite sex. This will reduce the odds of a pooer of your sex entering the bathroom.

TURD BURGLAR -- Someone who does not realise that you are in the cubicle and tries to force the door open. This is one of the most shocking and vulnerable moments that can occur when taking a poo at work. If this occurs, remain in the cubicle until the Turd Burglar leaves. This way you will avoid all uncomfortable eye contact.

CAMO-COUGH -- A phoney cough that alerts all new entrants into the bathroom that you are in a cubicle. This can be used to cover-up a WATERMELON, or to alert potential Turd Burglars. Very effective when used in conjunction with an ASTAIRE.

ASTAIRE -- A subtle toe-tap that is used to alert potential Turd Burglars that you are occupying a cubicle. This will remove all doubt that the cubicle is occupied. If you hear an Astaire, leave the bathroom immediately so the pooer can poo in peace.

WATERMELON -- A poo that creates a loud splash when hitting the toiletwater. This is also an embarrassing incident. If you feel a Watermelon coming on, create a diversion. See CAMO-COUGH.

HAVANAOMELET -- A case of diarrhoea that creates a series of loud splashes in the toilet water. Often accompanied by an Escapee. Try using a Camo-Cough with an Astaire.

UNCLE TED -- A bathroom user who seems to linger around forever. Could spend extended lengths of time in front of the mirror or sitting on the pot. An Uncle Ted makes it difficult to relax while on the crapper, as you should always wait to poo when the bathroom is empty. This benefits you as well as the other bathroom attendees

Cisse shows Gerrard

Joke of the Day

Three kids come down to the kitchen and sit around the breakfast table. The mother asks the oldest boy what he’d like to eat. "I’ll have some fuckin’ French toast," he says. The mother is outraged at his language, hits him, and sends him upstairs. She asks the middle child what he wants. "Well, I guess that leaves more fuckin’ French toast for me," he says. She is livid, smacks him, and sends him away. Finally she asks the youngest son what he wants for breakfast. "I don’t know," he says meekly, "but I definitely don’t want the fuckin’ French toast."

Indian sons set parents alight!

Cisse wants to go.

Liverpool and France striker Djibril Cisse may move from the club in January if manager Rafael Benitez does not start him more regularly.

I like Cisse. I still think he can turn into the goal-machine that he was in France, for us. But I have been disappointed watching him in the last few games when he has come on. To be fair to the lad, he hasn't been a regular starter for us and that can affect your confidence as a striker. Rafa's preferred formation seems to be 4-5-1 with Crouchy upfront - and I really hope that isn't the case after the humiliation we suffered on Sunday.

4-4-2 in that game might not have made a huge difference, but atleast it would've looked like there was an effective plan - Crouch on his own upfront is useless. Partner him with someone who's got pace, ie. Cisse, and you have an effective striker combination. Part of the reason Cisse has looked useless so far could be him being played out of position, as we saw under houllier with Diouf. He was never as shit as he was while playing for us. I'd hate to see Cisse go elsewhere and score loads of goals.

Monday, October 03, 2005

The moon has been sighted

And also a very happy new year to our Jewish friends.I'm NOT TOO SURE whether I'll be continuing with Babes of the Month for the coming month of Ramadan, as I aint supposed to look at naked women while I'm fasting from sunrise to sunset. Might be able to post in the evenings once I've broken my fast...

Picture Power

They didn't seem to know what had happened - they were very disorientated. The body of the driver was put into a body bag. One medic handed over the dog tags belonging to the dead soldier to another medic and, at this point, Sergeant Ken Kozakiewicz realised that his best friend had been killed by "friendly fire".

The World Press Photofoundation celebrates the 50th anniversary of its annual photographic competition this year.

In the first of five pieces by photographers talking about their award-winning work, David Turnley describes how he captured the image of a young US sergeant at the moment he learns that the body bag next to him contains the body of his friend, killed by "friendly fire".

The widely published photo became an iconic image of the 1991 Gulf war - a war in which media access was limited by Pentagon restrictions.

Here are some more award winning photographs from over the years.

1963:While working for the Associated Press, photographer Malcolm Browne was in Saigon, South Vietnam, when Thich Quang Duc dramatically protested against alleged religious persecution by the government. Browne was overcome at the horror and smell of burning flesh.

1973: Many of the winners are controversial, as is this one, which shows the president of Chile, Salvador Allende, moments before his death during a military coup. The picture was sourced by Marvine Howe working for The New York Times, the photographer is unknown.

1964: Don McCullin was covering the conflict in Cyprus for The Observer newspaper when he took this picture of a Turkish woman who has discovered her husband’s body.

1976: Françoise Demulder of Gamma agency became the first woman to win the World Press Photo award for this picture of Palestinian refugees in Beirut, Lebanon.

1983: After an earthquake in Turkey, photographer Mustafa Bozdemir photographed Kezban ضzer who found her five children dead, having been buried alive. Bozdemir says: "While her screams pierced my heart, it seemed like she thought her love could will them back to life."

and finally,

I met a farmer who told me of this young girl who needed help. He took me to her, she was almost on her own at the time, just a few people around and some rescuers helping someone else a bit further away.

She was in a large puddle, trapped from the waist down by concrete and other debris from the collapsed houses. She had been there for almost three days. Dawn was just breaking and the poor girl was in pain and very confused.

When I took the pictures I felt totally powerless in front of this little girl, who was facing death with courage and dignity. She could sense that her life was going.

By this stage, Omayra was drifting in and out of consciousness. She even asked me if I could take her to school because she was worried that she would be late.

I gave my film to some photographers who were going back to the airport and had them shipped back to my agent in Paris. Omayra died about three hours after I got there. FULL STORYWorld Press Photo

Babe of the Day - Louise Redknapp

Joke of the Day

After a tourist had been served in the Las Vegas cocktail lounge, he beckoned the waitress back and said, "Miss, would y'all give me a piece of ass?"She looked him over, smiled and said, "Sure, why not? It's pretty slow here right now, so let's go!"

When the pair returned half an hour later, the man sat down at the same table and the waitress asked, "Will there be anything else?"

How Men and Women use ATM Machines

A sign in the Bank Lobby reads: Please note that this Bank is installing new Drive-through teller machines enabling customers to withdraw cash without leaving their vehicles. Customers using this new facility are requested to use the procedures outlined below when accessing their accounts.

After months of careful observation, MALE and FEMALE procedures have been developed based on the majority of customers’ habits.

1. Drive up to cash machine.2. Reverse and back up the required amount to align car window with the machine.3. Set parking brake, put the window down.4. Find handbag, remove all contents on to passenger seat to locate card.5. Tell person on cell phone you will call them back and hang up.6. Attempt to insert card into machine.7. Open car door to allow easier access to machine due to its excessive distance from the car.8. Insert card.9. Re-insert card the right way.10. Dig through handbag to find diary with your PIN written on the inside back page.11. Enter PIN.12. Press cancel and re-enter correct PIN.13. Enter amount of cash required.14. Check makeup in rear view mirror.15. Retrieve cash and receipt.16. Empty handbag again to locate wallet and place cash inside.17. Write debit amount in check register and place receipt in back of checkbook.18. Re-check makeup.19. Drive forward 2 feet.20. Reverse back to cash machine.21. Retrieve card.22. Re-empty handbag, locate cardholder, and place card into the slot provided.23. Give dirty look to irate male driver waiting behind you.24. Restart stalled engine and pull off.25. Redial person on cell phone.26. Drive for 2 to 3 miles.27. Release Parking Brake.

Cheating Myths

Myth One: “Cheating is OK”

It isn’t. When you cheat, you’re putting on a face of deception. You are not presenting the real and honest you to the person you are cheating with. Even if your boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t find out, you are betraying them by not being honest with your choices.

You may be able to lie to yourself for a short period of time, but deep down, you know cheating is wrong. I don’t think walking around with a guilty conscience is okay, nor is it much fun.

Myth Two: “Cheating is Fun”

Of course it’s fun. You know that you’re deceiving someone and getting away with it. But remember this “fun” has is a ticking time-bomb. Eventually, time will run out on your cheating romp and you will have to deal with some the vast array of drama, emotional turmoil, depression and other brutal situation that inevitably accompany such an explosion. Haven’t you seen the reality TV show Cheaters?

Myth Three: “It’s Only Cheating if the Other Person Finds Out”

Always remember: If you are going to cheat on your present love interest, you’re always going to be looking over your shoulder. Even if you are smooth operator about it and you’ve been able to fool both your current love beau and your second partner, it is still cheating. And at the end of the day, you are still being deceptive to others, and worse, you are not being honest with yourself. Don’t forget, people see and talk about things you might not want them to. These things always get out.

Myth Four: “Cheating is Forgivable”

This is a tough call. As a general rule of thumb, we should all practice forgiveness, because we all know that hanging on to anger and resentment causes tension in our own lives, whether or not we decide to move on with a cheating partner. However, dealing with the aftermath of a cheater is not easy. As the saying goes, “the damage is done.” You can forgive, but it takes time to forget.Also, cheating has a lot to do with the betrayal of trust. When trust is broken in a relationship, it is almost impossible to regain again. It isn’t impossible, but it takes two very strong people to overcome. Most men and women tell me that if they ever found out that their partner was cheating on them, they wouldn’t be able to trust that person again, no matter how hard they tried. So, the best move might be to move on.

However, if you chose to forgive and forget, then I think it’s really important to take a step back and reflect on why you are willing to tolerate a cheating partner. What makes you think they won’t cheat again? Do you really want to be with someone who openly deceives you? Sure we all make mistakes, but cheating repeatedly on the same partner is disrespectful and selfish. No one deserves that treatment.

Jessica Alba Likes Nudity and One Night Stands

"From a really crass point of view, if I just want to fuck somebody, I don’t really want to see him in the morning, much less every day on set."

"I'm going to have to face that when a big director who I really respect has an amazing story, it might be necessary for me to do a nude scene... I'm actually OK with my body and the fact that I have curves and flaws. I think that European women have a much healthier attitude about bodies and sex, and I have more of that mentality." MORE

Dear God...

14 Things You Really Should Have Done Before Getting Married

1. Watch yourself eating in front of a mirror. If you're put off, that's the view your future partner will have...2. Live on your own. It's important that you find out what a hopeless slob you are before your beloved tells you. And then leaves you...3. Go out with your friends for a "quick drink" and stagger home three days later...4. Have a holiday romance with someone who doesn't speak a word of English. Who needs conversation?5. Women: Take the soft toys off your bed. Nothing turns a man off more than performing in front of an audience of beady-eyed teddies...6. Men: Get rid of those "How to Get Girls Even Though You're Poor and Ugly' books. They never work anyway...7. Gobble the last slice of pizza without having to go through the 'No you have it, no really... Are you sure you don't mind...?8. Walk about the house naked, without having to hold any bits in...9. Have friends of the opposite sex. After marriage, it's too much effort to keep saying: "No, I really don't fancy them"...10. Men: Enjoy that wardrobe space while you can! You will not believe the vast number of shoes that one woman needs...11. Women: Fill in silly magazine quizzes with titles like 'Are You Seductive', without having to listen to loud laughter from your partner (who then runs off with the magazine)...12. Men: Get rid of anything inflatable and female-shaped...13. Relish clipping your toenails straight onto the carpet...14. Remember that your best option with in-laws is to marry an orphan...

Photos / Illusions

Shoot First

On October 1, 2005, Florida becomes a more dangerous place. That's when the Shoot First Law goes into effect, giving the people of Florida the right to use deadly force as a first resort when they feel threatened, even in a public place. But the Shoot First doctrine isn't just staying in Florida — it's about to become a national disgrace.[VIA]

Meet Mohamed Sissoko

There has always been a tradition of brothers in English football: think the Charltons, the Blanchflowers, the Greenhoffs, the Nevilles and even, some are suggesting, the Ferdinands, too. Now get ready for the Sissokos.

Liverpool already have the pick of the current brood in Mohamed, West Bromwich Albion have his younger brother, Ibrahim, but you would be very wrong to assume the supply line ended there.

When Mohamed's brothers and sisters come to visit him in Liverpool he makes sure that they arrive in separate batches - it is not that they do not all get along but simply that his new apartment in the Sefton Park area of the city would not accommodate a group of siblings that numbers 15. Not so much a football team as a rugby side. His childhood in Troyes may not have been full of material comforts, but Liverpool's new £6.5m midfielder was never short of players for a kickabout after school. INTERVIEW WITH MOMO SISSOKO